The present invention relates to the controlled retaining of an object in a desired orientation and, more specifically, to systems and methods for retaining a sporting implement, such as a fisherman""s rod, in a ready position.
The number of sporting activities available to individuals during their leisure time has continued to proliferate in recent years. Accordingly, manufacturers and other entities serving sports enthusiasts have striven to provide products and services specifically adapted for use in such sporting activities. Often such products must be specially adapted to provide desired attributes for use according to the particular sporting activity.
For example, in the sport of fishing, equipment must be adapted to accommodate not only the gross weight of the fish to be caught, but also adapted to tolerate other considerations such as the wet environment in which the equipment will be used. Additionally, such equipment should be adapted for the preferred steps utilized in luring a fish onto a line, i.e., the casting of the line, the holding of a fishing rod in anticipation of a fish strike, and the movements of the setting of a hook in the fish, in addition to the stresses and movements associated with landing a fighting fish.
In addressing the fisherman""s or anglers needs for a system to adequately support a fishing rod assembly, i.g., a rod and reel combination, both in transit and during use, various rod holder apparatus have been developed. For example, in a simple form, a rod holder may be provided by a tube assembly, such as might be made of metal or plastic, of suitable size and depth to accommodate the grip portion of a fishing rod extending below the point at which the reel is attached. Such a tube may be mounted vertically, such as on a boat gunwale, bulkhead, or console, to hold a rod assembly in a substantially vertical orientation during transport. Additionally or alternatively, such a tube may be mounted at an angle, such as protruding over a boat gunwale or transom, to hold a rod assembly in a diagonal orientation, typically with the rod tip extended beyond the side of the boat, during use.
However, such a simple rod holder typically suffers from undesirable traits. For example, in order to accept many of the newer style rods, such as those presenting a xe2x80x9ctriggerxe2x80x9d appendage on the grip portion, the tube may require modification, such as enlarging the diameter of the tube a sufficient amount to accept such an appendage. However, enlargement of the tube""s diameter generally results in a rather loose fit with a rod is inserted for holding, thus allowing an undesired level of lateral movement therein. Additionally, a simple tube configuration typically relies upon the distal end of the tube to abut a portion of the rod assembly, such as the rear surface of the reel. This can result in damage to an often expensive equipment in addition to interfering with various mechanisms, such as spool release and/or drag adjustment mechanisms.
Moreover, such a design does not accommodate the sudden rod drawing motion often required to set a hook when a fish strikes. Accordingly, although only having seconds to complete the proper movements after a strike, the angler must extract the rod assembly from the tube, often requiring movement in the direction of the fish causing undesired slack in the fishing line, in order to free the rod assembly from the tubular rod holder in order to free the assembly for a hook setting drawing motion.
It should be appreciated that, although providing sufficient incarceration of the rod assembly to preclude the necessary operation of the assembly, the simple tube often does not provide sufficient incarceration of the rod assembly to prevent its unwanted migration or extraction from the holder. For example, the bouncing movement of a boat could cause a rod assembly to xe2x80x9cwalkxe2x80x9d sufficiently that the grip portion may become disengaged from the tube. Additionally, tension on the fishing line, such as from a fish strike or even the resistance of a lure in water during trolling, may present the proper forces to partially or fully extricate the rod assembly from the rod holder.
More complicated rod holder designs have been implemented to present systems addressing some of the problems of the more simple designs, such as the simple tube described above. For example, a locking rod holder design employing a channel, a cuff, and a rod lock mechanism has been used in the past.
In this design, the channel provides support to a portion of the rod assembly, such as providing a bottom surface upon which the rod or grip rests and/or side walls upon which the reel rests. The channel may include an opening to accommodate irregularities on the underside of the rod assembly.
The cuff is typically disposed on the rear of the rod holder and presents a retaining surface, fully enclosing a portion of the channel, disposed to prevent the rod assembly from being lifted straight out of the channel. Typically the surface of the lower portion of the channel terminates at or before the cuff in order to permit the pivoting of the rod assembly therein, such as to accommodate the drawing motion of hook setting.
The rod locking mechanism is typically disposed on the front of the rod holder and is adjustable to incarcerate a portion of the rod assembly within the channel. For example, a typical rod locking mechanism is a ring having a gap therein disposed around the channel. This ring may be rotated such that the gap therein corresponds to the opening in the top of the channel in order to allow ingress and egress of the rod assembly. However, once the ring is rotated, the rod assembly is incarcerated within the confines defined by the channel to the bottom and sides, the cuff to the rear top, and the ring to the front top.
The locking rod holder provides improvement over the simple tube type rod holder in that, when the rod locking mechanism is engaged, the rod assembly is generally sufficiently restricted in movement to prevent its unwanted migration or extraction from the holder. Moreover, the design of such a rod holder may be configured to support the rod assembly without causing significant damage thereto and/or without undesirably engaging mechanisms thereon.
However, the locking rod holder has not fully addressed the problems in the prior art discussed above. For example, although allowing the rod assembly to be drawn in a hook setting motion, once the locking mechanism is released, the locking rod holder requires additional effort to extract the rod assembly from the rod holder for further fishing action. Specifically, although allowing the rod to pivot in the rod holder, the cuff and channel continue to incarcerate the grip portion of the rod assembly when the hook setting motion is complete preventing its free movement and requiring an additional upward motion to fully extricate the assembly from the rod holder. This extraction motion is in addition to the time and motion required in releasing the locking mechanism in order to allow the hook setting motion, each of which consume time during an activity in which time is often critical.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a system and method for disposing an implement, such as a fishing rod assembly, in a desired orientation and for reliably maintaining the implement in such orientation up to such time as it is desired to reorient the implement.
A further need exists in the art for such systems and methods to allow for the disposal of the implement into a desired orientation with a minimal amount of manipulation and/or time. Similarly, a need exists in the art for such systems and methods to allow for the reorientation of the implement, such as the removal of the implement from a restraining mechanism, with a minimal amount of manipulation and/or time.
These and other objects, features and technical advantages are achieved by a system and method which utilizes a passive restraint system adapted to allow the normal use activity of the implement to extricate it from the restraint system, while reliably incarcerating the implement otherwise. A preferred embodiment of the present invention adapted as described above is embodied in a passive restraint fishing rod holder having a channel, a retaining member, and a boot to retain a fishing rod assembly in an orientation substantially coaxial to the channel until such time as it is desired to extricate the rod assembly from the rod holder.
According to the preferred embodiment, the channel provides support to a portion of the rod assembly, such as providing a bottom surface upon which the rod or grip rests and/or side walls upon which the reel rests. A most preferred embodiment includes adaptation of the side walls to present a detent or other structure, such as ridges, grooves, reliefs, and/or protrusions, to provide support to a reel without causing damage thereto. Additionally or alternatively, the channel may include an opening or other adaptation, such as detents, ridges, grooves, reliefs, and/or protrusions, to accommodate irregularities on the underside of the rod assembly, such as trigger appendages on the grip, reel mounting apparatus, etcetera.
The retaining member of the preferred embodiment, in addition to providing a structure which incarcerates a rod assembly when disposed in the channel, provides a means of egress and/or ingress operable when the rod assembly is in a position other than that at which it is to be retained. According to a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the retaining member is disposed on the rear of the rod holder and presents a side entry opening adapted to allow the grip portion of the rod assembly to pass laterally when the rod assembly is not disposed coaxially with the channel.
A preferred embodiment of the retaining member is adapted to present a leading edge surface disposed to encourage proper movement into/out of the channel by the rod assembly. The preferred embodiment of the channel is adapted to present a corresponding trailing edge surface disposed to encourage proper movement into/out of the channel by the rod assembly. For example, according to a most preferred embodiment of the present invention the leading edge surface of the retaining member and the trailing edge surface of the channel define a spiral groove which encourages the rod assembly out of the channel as the rod assembly is drawn in a hook setting motion.
The boot of the preferred embodiment provides a resilient channel closure to provide a desired level of resistance to the passing of a portion of the rod assembly into/out of the channel. For example, according to a most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the boot is disposed on the front of the rod holder and provides a finger or fingers movably closing a portion of the channel. By adapting/adjusting the resilience of the fingers according to the present invention, a desired level of incarceration is provided to thereby allow a rod assembly to pass into and/or out of the channel when desired and to incarcerate the rod assembly within the channel in typical operating conditions. Additionally or alternatively, by properly shaping/disposing the fingers according to the present invention, a desired level of incarceration may be provided to allow a rod assembly to pass into and/or out of the channel without causing undesired effects such as snagging of fishing line etcetera.
Accordingly a technical advantage of the present invention is provided in that an implement, such as a fishing rod assembly, is disposed and retained in a desired orientation up to such time as it is desired to reorient the implement.
A further technical advantage is provided in that the disposal of the implement into a desired orientation is accomplished with a minimal amount of manipulation and/or time.
A still further technical advantage is provided in that extrication of the implement is accomplished with a minimal amount of manipulation and/or time.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.